Self-actiitg farm-gate



UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE.

ELON DUNBAR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SELF-ACTING- FARM-GATE.

Specification of Letters :Patent No. 14,351, dated March 4, 1856.

To all whom i may concern:

Be it known that I, ELoN DUNBAR, of the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Self-Acting Gates for Farms and other Inclosures; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,.clear, and eXact description thereof, reference being had to t-he annexed drawings, making part of this specicationf Figure l, is a front elevation of the improved gate, and parts for operating the same. Fig. 2, is a top view of the same, with the iiap and other parts o-n one side of the gate omitted. Fig. 3, is an end elevation of the same., Fig. t is a vertical transverse section of the gate and railway on which it is suspended. Fig. 5, is a horizontal section of the same, at the' line ai :n of Fig. 1.

Where the same letters occur in the several figures they indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of this invention and improvement consists in suspending the gate, by a grooved wheel at the center of its upper portion, on a round bar or railway, secured to vibrating levers or beams, supported on fulcrums at their center, and connected at their ends by rods and levers, with another vibrating weighted and bent lever, arranged below the gate, having projections on its sides, on which rest the rising and falling edges of hinged flaps, on either side of the gate, in the passageway it is intended to open or obstruct, as occasion may require, in such a manner as to enable the levers or beams, and bar or railway, to be moved by the depression of the iiaps, through the weight of vehicles or other objects approaching the same, to such an angle of inclination from the passageway, as to cause the grooved wheel, withl the gate, to descend over the bar or railway, to open the passage way, and after the removal of the vehicle or other object from the flaps, to cause the levers and bar or railway, to be turned to the same position, by a counterpoise weight on the lower bent lever, in a reverse direction, so as to bring .the gate back to close the passage way through the same agency; and also in a peculiar construction ofthe gate, and a combination of parts therewith, to perfectly adapt it t0 the working of the flaps and levers, and the objects of its design.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The vibrating levers or beams A, are supported at their centers by bolt-s, on which they vibrate, after the manner of scale beams, between upright posts B, connected together at their upper and lower ends, and erected a short distance within the inclosure for which the gate is desired, the fence or wall of the said inclosure being extended along the passage way, up to the line of the posts B. The bar or railway B', is secured above the levers or beams A, and immediately above the narrow space between the same, so as to enable the gate, which is suspended by the grooved wheel C, to traverse within said space, yduring the operation of opening or closing the same. The ends of one of the levers or beams A, have inclined connecting rods D, D', attached to themby bolts, the lower ends of which are attached, by similar bolts, to the ends of vibrating levers E, E, secured to the end postsB, by bolts passing through their centers, upon which they move as fulcrums, and being, when the levers or beams A, are inclined to close the gate, arranged in reverse inclined positions to each other. These vibrating levers E, E', are attached at their opposite ends by similar inclined connecting rods F,

F, to the ends of a lever G, bent at its center,where it is supported on a fulcrum, outside the upright posts B, and below the gate, to form an angle of about 10 degrees, and having projections G', at its sides, midway between the sides of the passage way, von which rest the edges of the inclined hinged fia-ps I, arranged on either side, and having a space below them, to allow them to descend to depress the end of the lever Gr, the

required distance to give the proper inclination to the levers or beams A, to open the gate, as vhereafter stated. The said ends of the lever G, and flaps I, when thus depressed, are raised to their original posi-k tion, by a weight J, attached to the opposite end of the former, and of sutticient gravity to overcome the resisting power of the parts necessary to be moved.

The gate consists of uprights, connected togetherby horizontal perforated beams K, the upper one of which s provided with lll) vertical bars K, connected together near their upper ends, and extending through the' space between the vibrating levers orl beams A, and on either side of the bar or railway,

so as to enable them to serve as guides to the gate, during its traversing movement, inaddition to the grooved wheel C, which is secured to the center of the upper beam, oonnecting them together. The spaces between the uprights and horizontal bars K", of the gate, are filled in with a series of upright rising and falling slats K2 connected together by a horizontal bar K3, and passing through the perforations or mortises in the horizontal bars K, being suspended' at their upper part to the end of a lever L, connected to the top of the center slat by a rod L, and turning on a fulcrum at its center, supported by slats secured to the upper horizontal bar, and having a weight N, attached to its opposite end, arranged in a casing or pocket on the end of said upper bar, which weight is of sufficient gravity to overcome the weight of the rising and falling slats, so as to raise them in the openings in the hori- Zontal bars to the position represented in Fig. l, after they have been drawn down by the catch or hasp M, on the upper surface of one of the flaps, drawing upon the hook M, at the lower end of the center slat K2, during the depression of said flap. The opposite upright of the gate has a corresponding weight N', fixed to it to counterpoise the effect of the weight N. The object in thus constructing the gate, to extend itself downward, during the depression of the flaps I, and the rising of its upper main portion by the action of the vibrating beams A, is to prevent the space that would otherwise be thereby formed, in the event of cattle indulging their natural propensity of standing on either side of the gate, and to thus exclude the passage of smaller animals below t-he gate. To prevent the gate being opened, when the flaps I, are depressed by such means, a small spring bolt O, somewhat similar to a lock bolt, is inserted in openings in one of the upright posts B, on which is formed a shoulder O, against which a spiral spring, surrounding the bolt O acts, so as to enable it to be forced in, by the action of a plate P, secured on the upright of the gate, striking the angular surface of the bolt when being closed, and forced out with its abrupt side against the plate P, to fasten the gate, when entirely closed.' This bolt O can be moved out to disengage the gate, by either the action of the fore wheel of the vehicle on levers Q, after the flaps on either side have been depressed by the weight of the horses or other animals attached to the same, or by the hand of a person riding on horse back, without dismounting, the first mentioned operation 65 being performed by arranging below the 'bolt O, a small' shaft having right angled radial arms R, R', projecting therefrom, the

end of the upright one R, resting against 'toa ce1-respondingl radial arm R3, project- 'ingr horizontally from a small shaft, ar-

ranged some distance below the flaps, and' having two other radial arms R4, R5, extending from it, at right angles to the last mentioned one (R43) one upward and the other (R5) downward, the ends of' these arms, being attached by wire rods R, R7 to other similar radial arms RS, extending downward from shafts arranged below the hinged edge of the flaps, said shafts, haring other radial arms R9', extending therefrom at right angles to` those extending down ward, and connected by upright rods R1", to t-he ends of levers Q, suspended on fulcrums below the surface of the passage way, next the flaps. The opposite ends of these levers Q, are made sufficiently wide to cause them, when the bolt O, is in the notch formed by the plate P on the upright of the gate, to project through. a slot in the passage way, above the surface of the same, the required distance to cause the wheels of vehicles to depress them, during their passage over them, sufficiently far to disengage the said bolt O, from contact with the plate P, on the gate, the said detachment being effected through the movement of the several shafts, radial arms, and rods forming the connection between the said levers and spring bolt, and the rods being represented in the drawing by red lines.

When it is desired to disengage the spring bolt O, from the plate P, on the gate, to open the same, to admit the passage of a pedestrian or a person riding on horseback, he simply depresses one of the flaps I, by stepping or riding upon it, as the case may be, and with his hand draws upon one of the rings S suspended by a chain or rod S', to curved arms S2, extending from shafts turning in a beam T, projecting from the posts B, and having other arms S3, connected by rods S4, to the upper and lower arms S5, S6, of a shaft turning in one of the posts B, and having a right angled radial arm S7, connected by a rod S8, to another radial .arm R12, on a shaft, having a rightangled radial arm R13, extending downward therefrom, and resting against the shoulder 0, on the spring bolt O, in the same manner, and in the same relation to the upper portion, that the upright radial arm R, does to the lower part of said shoulder O', so as to enable it to act upon the same, to withdraw the bolt O, from contact with the plate P, on the side of the gate, by the drawing upon the suspended rings S, in

the same manner that the end of the lower radial arm R, does by the depression of the levers Q. The rods forming the connection between the radial arms S3 and spring bolt O, are represented by red lines.

The operation of the gate is as follows: When a horse and vehicle, or a horse singly, or a pedestrian approaches the gate, the act of treading upon either of the flaps I, depresses the same, and t-he end of the bent lever G, below, which causes t-he catch or hasp M, to draw the Slat portion of the gate down with it, and the rods F, IN attached to the end of said bent lever, to raise the ends of the vibrating levers E, E', to which they are attached, the opposite ends being depressed, so as to vibrate t-he upper vibrating levers or beams A, to which they are attached by the rods D, D, and to incline them and the bar or railway B above (which has by the act of vibrating, raised the main portion of the gate) at such an angle of inclination as will cause the grooved wheel c to descend over the same with the gate, when the spring bolt o, is detached from cont-act with abrupt edge of the notch formed by the plate P on the side upright of the gate, to allow it to thus descend, t0 open the passage way, by the front wheel of the vehicle depressing the levers Q, on either side, or by the suspended rings S, being drawn upon by the rider or pedestrian, as the case may be.

As soon as the gate begins to open, the hook M, on the slat portion of the same, is detached frointhe catch or hasp hl, on the flap I, and the said slat portion is drawn up into the main upper body of the gate, by the superior gravity of the weight N. After the vehicle or other object has passed through the passage way, the flaps I, are raised and the several levers vibrated on their fulcrums, to their original positions, through the superior gravity of the counterpoise weight J, on the end of the bent lever G, and the gate is closed by the grooved wheel C, descending over the bar or railway B, whose inclination is now in a reverse direction, toward the passage way-the plate P, on the side of the gate, acting against the angular end of the spring bolt 0, enabling the gate to be again fastened by the said bolt, and the hook M, on the lower part of the center Slat being inserted in the catch or hasp M, by the act of closing.

Instead of suspending the gate on a single grooved roller, two, or any desired number, with double rails to traverse on, may be employed for this purpose; and in case it is desired, friction rollers may be attached to the upright posts, for guiding the lower parts of the gate.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. The combination of the vibrating beams' A, and railway B', with the lower bent and weighted lever G, upon which the flaps rest, and vibrating levers and rods forI connecting them together, and the gate suspended on the railway, the several parts named, being arranged and operated as herein set forth.

2. I claim constructing the gate in two parts in the manner described, and suspending the lower part K2, by the weighted lever N so as to enable the flap I, to draw said lower part downward, during the raising of the upper main part, to prevent a space for the passage of small animals being formed between the flaps and bottom of the gate as herein described.

3. I also claim the combination of the series of parts, consisting of levers, rods, shafts and radial arms, for operating the spring bolt 0, with the suspended gate, as herein set forth.

ELON DUNBAR.

Vitnesses:

CHARLES D. FREEMAN, GEORGE B. PULLINGER. 

